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AFTER MANY YEARS ---------- Visit Here of the Former Owner of Fort Ross ---------- Arrived in Santa Rosa Thursday -- One of the First White Women in California ---------- “Mrs. William Benitz, South America.” The inscription of this name was found by a Press Democrat reporter on the register at the Grand Hotel Thursday afternoon and on inquiry located the owner of the name, who accorded the reporter a very pleasant interview in the parlors of the hotel. Mrs. Benitz is a wonderful woman. She may have passed the three score and ten years limit, but she is as full of vigor as a much younger woman, and very graciously talked of bygone days in California.
She was one the first white women
to land in California. With her Laughingly Mrs. Benitz remarked that when she and the other white women arrived in California the natives would not believe that they were white, and as proof positive she says they rolled up their sleeves and exposed their arms to withdraw the skepticism of the doubting Thomases in the crowd. She says all the foreigners in the state, upon their arrival in 1845 – and there were very few of them – came to see their party. Before entering the country they had to obtain permission of the Mexican government to do so. In 1845 Mrs. Benitz’s husband purchased the land of Fort Ross, Captain Sutter having sold the improvements to the Russians. Mr. Benitz was sole owner of Fort Ross until the time of his departure from there in 1867, when he sold his property to Mr. Dickinson and Mrs. Fairbanks. After leaving Fort Ross Mr. and Mrs. Benitz removed to Oakland. They lived there some time prior to going to the Argentine Republic, where she – her husband having passed away over twenty years ago – has made her home. In the republic she has three sons, all prominent and wealthy land-owners, a married daughter, and seventeen grandchildren. Their home is near Buenos Ayres. She says times are prosperous in South America at the present time. Last Sunday week the distinguished woman and two of her granddaughters arrived in San Francisco from the Argentine Republic. She told the reporter Thursday that she would probably remain in California eight or nine months before returning to South America, where she expects to end her days. Mrs. Benitz has not been to Sonoma county to visit the familiar haunts of early days for a quarter century. On Thursday evening she left for Fort Ross and will probably remain at Timber Cove, near there, for four or five months. She had legal business here on Thursday, having come to see about a piece of land in the county which has reverted back to her upon the death of a brother. It would be impossible to find a more interesting conversationalist than Mrs. Benitz. One could listen for hours to the story of early days in the Golden West which she can tell so well. In Santa Rosa there are several old-timers who remember the Benitz’s occupancy of Fort Ross. Everyone hopes Mrs. Benitz will enjoy her visit at beautiful Timber Cove and that her long and useful life may be spared for many years to come. ---------- |
